raven

[Middle English, from Old English hræfn.]

1. To consume greedily; devour.
2. To seek or seize as prey or plunder.

1. To seek or seize prey or plunder.
2. To eat ravenously.

[From Middle English ravin, raven, rapine, plunder, prey. See ravin.]

For more information on raven, visit Britannica.com.

In general, ravens are unlucky birds, and their croaking an omen of death. However, the tame ones at the Tower of London are England's mascots; if ever they die out, or fly away, the Crown and the country will be destroyed. It was Charles II who gave the first ravens to the Tower, and the belief may only date from his time. On the other hand, Arthur himself, the archetypal protector of Britain, was linked with these birds. Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote (1605, book II, chapter 5) that no Englishman will kill a raven because ‘there is an ancient tradition common all over that kingdom of Great Britain that this king did not die, but by arts of enchantment was transformed into a raven’. Similarly, a contributor to N&Q (1s:8 (1853), 618) told how his father, some sixty years earlier, aimed a shot at a raven on Marazion Green (Cornwall), and was rebuked by an old man who said King Arthur was still alive in the form of that bird.

Ravens are symbols of diabolical evil in traditional Christianity. This bird also symbolizes uncleanliness and death because it feeds upon dead and decaying animals. Because it is a sign of transformation, the raven is also associated with magicians and sorcerers.

For other uses, see Raven (disambiguation).

Raven
Common Raven
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Corvus (partim)
Species
See text.

Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied.

Species include:

• Common Raven
• Thick-billed Raven
• Brown-necked Raven
• Chihuahuan Raven
• Australian Raven

Smaller-bodied species in the genus Corvus include the crows, jackdaws and the rook.

External links

• Raven videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• North American ravens on eNature
• Ravens and Crows at the Pennsylvania State Game Commission site
• Corvid Corner A site about the raven family.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - [zool.] ravn
adj. - ravnsort, kulsort

2.
v. intr. - søge efter bytte
v. tr. - stoppe i sig, æde grådigt

Nederlands (Dutch)
raaf, glimmend zwart, plunderen, prooi/schat najagen, verorberen

Français (French)
1.
n. - grand corbeau
adj. - d'un noir de jais, de jais

2.
v. intr. - chasser une proie, chercher/saisir une proie, piller, dévorer goulûment
v. tr. - dévorer goulûment

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Rabe
adj. - rabenschwarz

2.
v. - plündern, gierig fressen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ορνιθ.) κοράκι, κόρακας
v. - λεηλατώ, καταβροχθίζω
adj. - κατάμαυρος, κορακίσιος

Italiano (Italian)
corvo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - corvo (m)
v. - pilhar
adj. - brilhante, de cor negra lustrosa

Русский (Russian)
ворон

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - cuervo
adj. - negro y brillante

2.
v. intr. - ir en busca de presa o botín
v. tr. - devorar vorazmente

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - korp
v. - äta glupsk, plundra
adj. - korpsvart

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 大乌鸦, 乌黑的

2. 狼吞虎咽地吃, 攫取, 掠夺, 吞食, 狼吞虎咽, 寻机攫取, 空腹觅食

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
v. tr. - 狼吞虎嚥地吃, 攫取, 掠奪
v. intr. - 吞食, 狼吞虎嚥, 尋機攫取, 空腹覓食

2.
n. - 大烏鴉
adj. - 烏黑的

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 갈가마귀
adj. - 새까맣고 빛나는

2.
v. intr. - 노략질하다, 찾아 다니다
v. tr. - 게걸스럽게 먹다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ワタリガラス
v. - 略奪する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) غراب اسود (الغداف) (فعل) يلتهم بشره (صفه) اسحم, غدافي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עורב‬
adj. - ‮שחור-מבריק‬
v. intr. - ‮שיחר לטרף‬
v. tr. - ‮טרף, זלל‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.